Clipped wings, I was a broken thing/
Had a voice, had a voice but I could not sing.
Sia knocks out the anthem songs like no other. Sia’s regular mixes are amazing, but I enjoy her acoustic performances more in almost every instance. Perhaps the dance mixes sell better and to a wider audience. I really enjoy just hearing her on a piano. Her voice is one of the most unique in modern music. Perhaps there is a place for each in your playlist.
In “Bird Set Free”, Sia celebrates the freedom from a dysfunctional relationship. She was held back…and she still struggles to fly even though she is free from the cage of the relationship. She is realizing that being in a bad relationship eats you up inside. You begin to question your self-worth. Perhaps you even want to die. But now she is free! And she wants to live. And sing. She doesn’t care if it is offkey—at least she is singing, and she is singing for herself.
Sia’s piano work in “Bird Set Free” is simple, unique and very recognizable in the intro and verses. It changes into a more standard rhythm during the chorus. Her vocal improvisations sound like a bird excitedly singing after being set free from a cage.
Perhaps the most amazing thing about Sia is that she is the only musical artist—male or female—who is more prolific in her late thirties and forties than her teens and twenties. Almost every artist is done with writing new songs at forty…relevant songs anyways. There really is no comparison to her in this regard. The closest comparison I can come up with is Elton John, but even he did his best work when he was younger.
Bird Set Free Lyrics
Clipped wings, I was a broken thing
Had a voice, had a voice but I could not sing
You would wind me down
I struggled on the ground, oh
So lost, the line had been crossed
Had a voice, had a voice but I could not talk
You held me down
I struggle to fly now, oh
But there’s a scream inside that we all try to hide
We hold on so tight, we cannot deny
Eats us alive, oh it eats us alive, oh
Yes, there’s a scream inside that we all try to hide
We hold on so tight, but I don’t wanna die, no
I don’t wanna die, I don’t wanna die, yeah
And I don’t care if I sing off key
I find myself in my melodies
I sing for love, I sing for me
I shout it out like a bird set free
No, I don’t care if I sing off key
I find myself in my melodies
I sing for love, I sing for me
I’ll shout it out like a bird set free
I’ll shout it out like a bird set free
I’ll shout it out like a bird set free
Now I fly, hit the high notes
I have a voice, have a voice, hear me roar tonight
You held me down
But I fought back loud, oh
There’s a scream inside that we all try to hide
We hold on so tight, we cannot deny
Eats us alive, oh it eats us alive, oh
Yes, there’s a scream inside that we all try to hide
We hold on so tight, but I don’t wanna die, no
I don’t wanna die, I don’t wanna die, yeah
And I don’t care if I sing off key
I find myself in my melodies
I sing for love, I sing for me
I shout it out like a bird set free
No, I don’t care if I sing off key
I find myself in my melodies
I sing for love, I sing for me
I’ll shout it out like a bird set free
written by Sia